By Yogi Ashwini
Lord Ganesh is said to be the deity closest to the physical world; he is the god of wisdom, knowledge and prosperity. OnGanesh Chatuthri, also known a sVinayak Chaturthi, it is easiest to access the energy of Ganesh.
The term Ganesh comes from the Sanskrit words, 'gan' and 'esh'. 'Gan' means jan samooh (general people) and 'esh' means supreme or Lord. Lord Ganesha is the supreme deity of the normal man, the guardian of the spiritual world and the first energy to grant access to the higher dimensions, also known as the pratham pujya.
Every aspect of this energy has a significance of its own. The elephant-head symbolises supreme intelligence, the human body with large belly symbolises a reservoir of energy stored in the manipoorak chakra, which is located at the navel.Ganesh is the child of Mahadev, the supreme purush, and Adi Shakti, the mother of the creation. Riddhi (prosperity) and Siddhi (spiritual powers) are married to Ganpati, which indicates Ganpati is an energy, which bestows spiritual as well as worldly boons, confirming the philosophy given in shastras, that attainment of worldly pleasures is essential for attainment of higher realms - moksha or liberation.
This is also the reason why in yogic practices like the Sanatan Kriya, the first sadhna given to a sadhak (spiritual aspirant) is Ganpati sadhna and Ganpati jaap, which opens the doorway to lokas beyond the bhu-loka, the physical dimension in creation. The jaap and mala is received from your Guru, who channelizes the energy into mantra paving the route for its siddhi. Sadhaks at Dhyan Ashram who have been seriously practicing the various mantra siddhis, have had physical manifestations of the various gods. To master the mantra of Lord Ganesh it is important to move the maala (rudraksha beads) while chanting. When the maala moves, the shakti of mantra gets accumulated in the maala and its meru. The various tantric mantras have their prayog later in sadhna, you use them for a specific purpose and the use happens through the meru.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the day when the energy of Lord Ganesh is most easily accessible to human beings. A yagya invoking the energy of the Ganesh performed on this day under the guidance of Guru with the purity of thought (bhaav), chant (uccharan) and offerings (samagri and samidha), unlocks the doorways to the subtler dimensions, enabling one to realize his/her true potential. Such a yagya has the effect of purifying the home and the karmas of the participants, stimulating the process of manifestation of thoughts and desires, as experienced on a daily basis by Sanatan Kriya practitioners at Dhyan Ashram.
Yogi Ashwini is the Guiding Light of Dhyan Ashram and can be reached at www.dhyanfoundation.com